Overview
The modules in the Course Design unit focus on topics to consider before you actually begin developing course materials. These design aspects may influence the materials you develop for lectures, the resources that you provide to students, and the manner in which you facilitate the course. Specifically, these modules cover analyzing learner characteristics and course content, defining learning outcomes for your class and creating an effective syllabus.
The first module in this unit will help you identify important Learner Characteristics that impact the learning process. After identifying them, the module will provide suggested activities for accommodating different learner needs. Taking some very simple actions may have a dramatic effect on how successful the learners are in your classes.
The second module will guide you in examining the content that will be taught in your courses. Preparing to correct students' misconceptions and making sure that students succeed in subsequent courses are two of this module's main issues. Chunking the content into manageable pieces will lead you to defining learning outcomes.
The third and fourth modules provide nuts and bolts descriptions and activities related to writing clear, measurable learning outcomes, or objectives, and writing a syllabus. Both of these modules are extremely important for telling students what is expected of them and what you will be doing throughout the course.